Abstract
The direct conversion of solar energy to electricity by photovoltaic cells or thermal energy in concentrated solar power systems is emerging as a leading contender for next-generation green power production. The photovoltaics (PV) area is rapidly evolving based on new materials and deposition approaches. At present, PV is predominately based on crystalline and polycrystalline Si and is growing at >40% per year with production rapidly approaching 3 gigawatts/year with PV installations supplying <1% of energy used in the world. Increased cell efficiency and reduced manufacturing expenses are critical in achieving reasonable costs for PV and solarthermal. CdTe thin-film solar cells have reported a manufactured cost of $1.25/watt. There is also the promise of increased efficiency by use of multijunction cells or hybrid devices organized at the nanoscale. This could lead to conversion efficiencies of greater than 50%. Solar energy conversion increasingly represents one of the largest new businesses currently emerging in any sector of the economy.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Review 2003 (EIA, 2004; www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/contents.html) (accessed January 2008).
W. Shockley, H.J. Queisser, J. Appl. Phys. 32 (3), 510 (1961).
International Electrotechnical Commission, “IEC Norm” (IEC-904-3, 1989).
S. Taira, Y. Yoshimine, T. Baba, M. Taguchi, H. Kanno, T. Kinoshita, H. Sakata, E. Maruyama, M. Tanaka, Proceedings of the 22nd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition, Milan, Italy, 4, 932 (September 2007).
M.A. Green, K. Emery, D.L. King, Y. Hishikawa, W. Warta, Prog. Photovoltaics: Res. Appl. 15 (1), 35 (2007).
T. Surek, J. Cryst. Growth 275 (1–2), 292 (2005).
R.M. Margolis, Presented at NCPV Solar Program Review Meeting, Denver, CO, 2003.
D. Eaglesham, “First Solar, Inc. Announces 2006 Fourth Quarter and Year-end Financial Results” (First Solar, Phoenix, AZ, 2007; http://investor.firstsolar.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=229824) (accessed January 2008).
M.A. Green, Physica E 14 (1–2), 65 (Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2002).
M.A. Green, Photovoltaics for the 21st Century: Proceedings of the Electrochemical Society 2001–10, 3 (2001).
A. Slaoui, R.T. Collins, MRS Bull. 32 (3), 211 (2007).
B. Yan, G. Yue, J.M. Owens, J. Yang, S. Guha, Conference Record of the 2006 IEEE 4th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, Waikoloa, HI, 2, 1477 (2006).
F. Dimroth, S. Kurtz, MRS Bull. 32 (3), 230 (2007).
M.A. Contreras, M.J. Romero, R. Noufi, Thin Solid Films 511–512, 51 (2006).
X. Wu, Solar Energy 77 (6), 803 (2004).
M.A. Contreras, B. Egaas, K. Ramanathan, J. Hiltner, A. Swartzlander, F. Hasoon, R. Noufi, Prog. Photovoltaics: Res. Appl. 7 (4), 311 (1999).
J. AbuShama, R. Noufi, Y. Yan, K. Jones, B. Keyes, P. Dippo, M. Romero, M. Al-Jassim, J. Alleman, D.L. Williamson, Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Thin-Film Evolution During Growth from (In,Ga)2Se3 Precursors (Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 668, Warrendale, PA, 2001).
A. Romeo, M. Terheggen, D. Abou-Ras, D.L. Batzner, F.J. Haug, M. Kalin, D. Rudmann, A.N. Tiwari, Prog. Photovoltaics: Res. Appl. 12 (2–3), 93 (2004).
S.E. Shaheen, D.S. Ginley, G.E. Jabbour, MRS Bull. 30 (1), 10 (2005).
G. Collins, Sci. Am. 74 (2004).
D.M. de Leeuw, Phys. World 12 (3), 31 (1999).
S.E. Shaheen, R. Radspinner, N. Peyghambarian, G.E. Jabbour, Appl. Phys. Lett. 79 (18), 2996 (2001).
G. Hering, Photon Int. 10, 92 (2006).
M.A. Green, in Future Trends in Microelectronics: Up to Nano Creek, S. Luryi, J. Xu, A. Zaslavsky, Eds. (Wiley Interscience, New York, 2007), p. 391.
T. Trupke, M.A. Green, P. Wurfel, J. Appl. Phys. 92 (7), 4117 (2002).
T. Trupke, M.A. Green, P. Wurfel, J. Appl. Phys. 92 (3), 1668 (2002).
M.C. Beard, K.P. Knutsen, P. Yu, J.M. Luther, Q. Song, W.K. Metzger, R.J. Ellingson, A.J. Nozik, Nano Lett. 7 (8), 2506 (2007).
R.W. Miles, G. Zoppi, I. Forbes, Mater. Today 10 (11), 20 (2007).
R. Messenger, D.Y. Goswami, H.M. Upadhyaya, T.M. Razykov, A.N. Tiwari, R. Winston, R. McConnell, in Energy Conversion, D. Yogi Goswami, F. Kreith, Eds. (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2007), p. 20.
M. Green, J. Mater. Sci. 18 (Suppl. 1), S15 (2007).
MRS Bull. 32 (3), (2007).
A.J. Mozer, N.S. Sariciftci, in Handbook of Conducting Polymers, T.A. Skotheim, John Reynolds, Eds. (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, ed. 3, 2007), vol. 2, p. 10.
MRS Bull. 30 (1), (2005).
G. Conibeer, Mater. Today 10 (11), 42 (2007).
A. Luque, A. Marti, A.J. Nozik, MRS Bull. 32 (3), 236 (2007).
D. Mills, Solar Energy 76 (1–3), 19 (2004).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ginley, D., Green, M.A. & Collins, R. Solar Energy Conversion Toward 1 Terawatt. MRS Bulletin 33, 355–364 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs2008.71
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs2008.71